The Star Child (The Star Child Series) (18 page)

“You tell me, but I know that everything is out of sorts and it is all because of you and your girlfriend coming down here and tearing the place up.”

“My girlfriend? Do you know where she is? I’ve been looking for her everywhere.”

“I do not know, lad. I do not have the foggiest idea.”

I was afraid of that. “I need to find her. Do you have any idea where I should look?”

“There are many different dimensions here and she could be in any one of them. I do not know if I would even know where to start.”

“Could you
please
help me?” I was certain my voice sounded weak and I hated that. Regardless of the tone, however, it must have worked because he consented.

“Of course I will help you, lad. Everyone likes a rebel, after all.” He laughed.

“How do I know I can trust you?”

“I saved you, did I not? Not
all
of us are on the side of evil, after all. I myself quite like mortals. My name is Ghárda, Kellen St. James.”

“How did you know my name?” Skipping the pleasantries, I asked the blunt question.

“There are those of us who have known for many years that you would come. You are the one who will keep the light from vanishing from Earth.”

Yeah, that’s me
, I thought. However, I said nothing as the ground swept past us below and the landscape changed yet again from the desert to a richly colored forest. I hugged the large bird tighter and tried not to think of my quest or what lay ahead. There was no point in fearing these things; being afraid wouldn’t change what I had to do. Instead, I tried to put it out of my mind.

“Why are you helping me?”

“My family has long been charged with helping those in need. We are protectors in this land and we look after the humans that find their way down here, either by accident,” he looked back at me, “or by design.”

I processed this for a moment. “How many are in your family?”

“I have twenty children, one hundred and nineteen grandchildren, and two hundred and thirty great-grandchildren.”

“Huh.” He didn’t waste any time. “And you’re all protectors in Faerie?”

“We call this here place Faerie. To answer your question, yes, in one way or another.”

As it turned out, Ghárda was a wonderful storyteller who shared tales of his family and their life. Whenever I asked him to explain how he ended up in the desert, he happily changed the subject. I shouldn’t trust him, but I wanted to. I needed to trust someone; it was all too overwhelming otherwise.

Scanning the ground, I looked for Calienta but I didn’t see anything but the forest. “Where are we going?” I meant this more as a “Do you know where you’re going?” sort of question, but I didn’t want to seem pushy when the driver had the ability to let me drop hundreds of feet to the ground below.

“We must travel through all of the dimensions of Faerie to the place where your girl must be. See the light ahead?” He indicated a rainbow on the horizon with a flick of his beak. “That is the portal between our dimensions.”

“How many dimensions are there?”

“There are seven. Discovery, Inquisition, Knowledge, Contentment, Transition, Desolation, and there is one more. I do not wish to speak of it, though.”

This wasn’t going to get me anywhere good, but I asked anyway. “Why not?” I fully expected him to buck me off.

“Because it is the darkest place in our land; nothing but evil dwells in that place and we do not speak its name.” The bird’s tone contained a finality to it that indicated that no further questions on the matter were welcome. I decided to comply for the moment, but I was willing to bet that was the one that I’d need to go to.

“Where did the portals come from?”

“Let me think about how best to explain it.” The wind rushed past us for a moment as he considered. “Years ago, when the Children of Danu were exiled here, they started to turn. Some became evil; some did not. Others chose to walk the line now and again. There was no way, with such varying beliefs, that everyone could get along, if you will.”

“They decided to live in different parts of Faerie?”

“Faerie decided for them. Their fighting was so fierce that the land was split apart into different dimensions. Everyone went their separate ways. Though they did learn to travel between their own little worlds, few chose to.”

“And you were a Child of Danu.”

“No. My kind came after that epic battle.” Changing the subject, he gestured with a nod of his head. “We are heading straight for the first portal. As we pass through each one, tell me if any of them speak to you. If you think there is one place where your mate might be, let me know.”

“Okay.”

We crossed into the first dimension. Mountains capped with snow and dotted with endless pine trees filled the landscape. Mentally, I shut down my own worries and focused on sensing Calienta, the way I’d been able to before.

“We have entered the dimension of Discovery.” The bird’s wings beat furiously as we moved through the air.

The cold air blew ceaselessly, chilling me, causing me to shiver. Closing my eyes, I thought of my love, calling to her with my mind, but I received no reply, no feeling that she was there.

“She’s not here.”

“You are sure?”

“I can’t sense her here.”

That was enough for Ghárda and onward we flew, once again toward the rainbow that signified the gateway to the other portals.

“We already know that she is not in the portal of Inquisition.”

“That’s where we came from, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” answered Ghárda. “They will be looking for you there. It is not safe for you to return there, at any rate.”

We searched through the portals of Knowledge, Transition, and Desolation, with no success. It was incredibly discouraging and I was afraid that Calienta was in the portal that Ghárda wouldn’t name—the scary one that contained all the evil. Or worse, what if we searched like this forever and I
never
found her?

“If she is not in the dimension of Contentment, I very much fear that I will not be able to take you any further.”

“I know. I wouldn’t expect you to.” If Calienta wasn’t in the dimension of Contentment, then I would go on alone to search for her. I’d never stop looking for her, no matter how long it took.

Once we entered the realm, however, my senses came alive again, every wrong made right, every fear destroyed. She was here.

“This is the one, this is the one. Please land, please land!”

Ghárda chuckled, beating his large wings as we slowly descended into a dense forest similar to the one Calienta and I’d first visited. Once we touched the ground, the large bird lowered its wing so I could climb down.

“It is all right, my friend, here we are.” He laughed at my enthusiasm as I scrambled off of his plush feathered back and ran around to face my chauffeur.

When I looked up to thank him, he looked much older than when we’d first started our journey. His wings were wilted and part of his beak was missing. His feet were curled and aged, while his eyes had a world-weary look about them.

“Why do you look so old all of a sudden?” It was a very direct question but I felt we’d bonded.

“I am not the same age as I was when we first met. In this dimension I am much older.” The bird stood there, completely unfazed by his current state. After a time he shook out his ratty feathers, which now appeared to have taken on the consistency of an old, filthy feather duster.

“Will you die?” My throat was rough. I didn’t want anything to happen to this creature that had saved me. Where would I be without him? Most likely dead, or trying to survive in the desert. Certainly, I wouldn't be here, so far away from where the faeries had taken me.

“Probably not, although that idea is amusing.” He laughed out loud and the warm chuckle filled his body and seemed to change his entire appearance. “No, I cannot die, but I am out of sorts. I do not belong in this dimension, you see, or in this time. The journey back should be intriguing.”

“I hope it’s a safe one.”

“Goodbye, Kellen St. James.” He turned and shot into the air.

In an instant my friend was gone, a single feather floating to the ground in his wake. I picked it up and pocketed it, feeling a sense of loss. I’d miss him. I let my fingers explore the smooth texture of the feather inside my pocket and hoped that it would bring me luck.

With resolve, I turned away and headed toward the oppressing silence of the forest. To some it might have seemed like I had a plan, though in truth I had no idea where to begin.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHASING CALIENTA

As I made my way forward, the tall trees closed in on me again from every side.
Ooh, who wants to go into the spooky forest now? Um, not me, that’s for sure
. However, I sensed that Calienta was in there, so there was no other choice for me.

I’d only taken a few steps when a wave of depression attacked me once again. Several yards to my right, there was a fast-moving river that I’d have sworn wasn’t there before.

Staggering toward it, I was overcome by my own cruel doubts. I’d never find her. I was doomed to roam this land alone forever.

Suddenly I found myself standing along the bank of the river, staring into its dark depths. I remembered not to get too close after my experience with the pond, however the running water was mesmerizing and I was lost in my own worries.

One of the quirks that I couldn’t grow accustomed to in this strange place was the odd passage of time. Here time responded jerkily, like a sports car running on poor quality gasoline: For a moment, it would speed up, gain incredible mileage, only to pull back like a heap of scrap metal.

After an indistinguishable period of time, I became aware of the negativity that hung in the air. The morose power that the Soul Snatcher held over me was not real. Once I caught on, I was pretty ticked off.

“Stop it.” I rose to my feet. I didn’t see anything in front of me; no creature rose to the occasion, but it was there nonetheless.

“I command my own thoughts.” Maybe it was the choice of words that I used or perhaps my own resistance, but an invisible fog lifted from my head. I was now seeing everything clearly once more. Before I could react to this, however, a shadowy form appeared before me.

What it was supposed to look like, I didn’t know. However, ill intent rolled off of it in waves. I looked down to see if my appearance was at all changed, but I looked the same as when I’d started out on my journey, so this creature must not be a friend.

You cannot escape me, young mortal
. The creature’s voice echoed in my head, making the forest seem even eerier than before.
You have escaped me twice before, but you cannot escape me a third time.
And with that, a strong burst of wind took the creature away and with it any sense of calm that I had.

“Manuel, you are truly a powerful warlock to banish the Glacadóir Anam. I bow to you.”

“What? Who?” Startled, I jumped and spun around to find Dagné, the Trooping Faerie, on her hands and knees. She was the last person that I expected to see. Abashed, I suddenly remembered the horrendous alter ego I’d given myself. As I glanced down, I noted that I’d reversed into my Trooping Faerie ensemble.

“No, please, you mustn’t bow to me. I am no warlock. Please, Dagné, get up.”

“He remembers my name.” For a moment, I believed she felt honored, but I quickly caught on. She was making fun of me.

“How did you find me?”

“Oh, I followed you.” There was something about her expression that put me on edge. I didn’t feel as though I could trust her for a second.

“Dagné, what happened when I jumped out the window?”

“You entered a time portal. When you went through the window, you journeyed to another time and place.”

“A time portal.”

“The entire land knows about it. The Hounds are after–”

“Yes, I know.” I didn’t need a reminder that everyone hated me, wanted to kill me, or at the very least steal my soul.

“You are angry. What right do you have to anger when you have damaged the fabric of time? Who are you?”

Her eyes blazed a brilliant green. I noticed that she now wore a pink riding habit trimmed in white fur. A pink beret sat upon her head and her now red hair was tucked up inside it. Again, I was outmatched, despite this creature’s stature; I’d need to distract her.

“The fabric of time?” That explained the ripping sound, but how did I manage to tear it? My fingers closed around the rough edges of the knife handle in my pocket. I had to cover myself.

“Who are you?” she repeated the question.

“I’m a traveler passing through. I’m far from my troop, but I told you that already.”

“Regardless, you have torn the fabric of time and our world has been damaged.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. I was never taught properly. I don’t even know how I did it.” That wasn’t entirely untrue. After all, I’d had no clue what I was doing at the time. I wasn’t sure if she was buying it, but I needed her not to hurt me while I found a way out of this place.

She crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn’t buying it.

I again tried to divert her. “What happened when I tore the fabric?”

“When you jumped, you separated yourself from the time we were in. You have moved into the light of the future.”

“How do I get back?”

“That is your quest, great Manuel, not mine. However, with your powers you will find a way.” The sarcasm in her voice wasn’t a good sign.

I didn’t have any powers but I’d been able to find this realm by trying to sense Calienta. I’d need to do the same again if I was ever going to find her. The only sound was the wind in the trees.

All of a sudden, the forest seemed to come alive. The rustling of the leaves overtook my senses, while a million different scents assaulted me. Closing my eyes, I inhaled. Pine, moss, mushroom, heather, lavender…Calienta. I smelled her scent before I heard her voice.
Sugar cookies
.

“Kellen, where are you?” The voice was faint.